ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — to cut
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. suit — clothes
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — a video
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cold — not warm
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. field — for sport
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — completely
  22. suit — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com